Mechanical chessboard



Oct. 13,' 1942.

Filed sept. so, 194.0

2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR FRANclsco BENK ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 13, 1942 f UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE In Argentina November 6,1939

8 Claims.

The present invention relates to the game of chess and has for its object to provide a new and improved chessboard which is designed to enable a single player to play games or parts of games or to solve chess problems while having available a key prepared by experts, which is normally concealed by the board and of which one or more moves can be disclosed at a time.

Accordingly the board of the present invention is composed of individual squares, adapted to be displaced crosswise of the board between guidemembers so as to disclose the instructions relating to the particular square displaced, means being provided for operatively coupling the chessmen to the square on which they are placed.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan of the board showing certain squares displaced.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the board showing the chart of instructions,

Fig. 4 is a section along the line IV-IV of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 5 is a plan view showing a fragment of an indicia-bearing sheet.

Referring to the drawings, the board proper or field of play |00 consists o-f sixty-four individual blocks |02, of some suitable material, such as wood, synthetic resin, ivory or bone, one surface |04, 04' of which forms the squares of the field of play and is suitably coloured to diierentiate the black from the White squares. Each block |02 has a groove |06 formed on each of two parallel sides |08 and the blocks are adapted to be alined in parallel and contiguous rows with the grooves alined along the sides of the rows and slidably engaged with laterally projecting wings ||0 of a plurality of spaced guide members ||4 or with lips 2 projecting from side members ||6 of a frame I8. The guide-members 4 which may conveniently be of T-section are disposed transversely of said frame 8 that is to say, parallel to the side members ||6. The lips ||2 are substantially coextensive with said side members and project inwardly of said frame which has a pair of end members |20 between which and each row of blocks |02 compression springs |22 are provided to hold the blocks normally together in a yieldable manner lengthwise of the guide members ||4. It will be understood that the guide members 4 are spaced from each other and from the side members H6, in a direction parallel to the end members |20. in such a man- 1o |30 intended to be laid beneath the board and bearing indications designed to show whether a move made or contemplated is correct or agrees with the record yof a given game, as will be further explained below.

Conveniently the board as hereinbefore described is placed in a. box |32 (Fig. 1) having a lid whichis separable as shown at |34, but may be hinged, and a. mask |36 is located above the frame H8. The mask |36 has a central opening |38, the size of the eld of play and a move indicating device running parallel to one of the end-members |20 of frame ||8. The move indicating device may consist of a slot |40, havnga scale and numerical indicia |42a adjacent thereto, and a cursor |42 having, pointers |44 and adapted to be moved along the slot |40. The

mask may also be provided with side pocket |46 for the reception of the chessmen.

The springs |22 are preferably fitted at only one end of the frame H8, and an abutment bar (not s hown) is provided at the other end to serve as a stop for the blocks |02, the mask may also have along the side opposite the move indicator, a plurality of Windows |48, |50 and |52 corresponding to informative indicia |485, |50?. |52a marked on the indicia bearing sheet |30. Thus, through window. |48 may be read the names of the original players of the game which is to be rehearsed or from which a mating problem has been taken. Window |50 may disclose the first moves made in the game and window |52 may show the diagram for the placing of the chessmen in a problem. A cover for the latter window is provided so that it may be closed if desired.

The mask may be placed loosely over the frame l |8 or it may be secured thereto or, preferably to a spacing member |54 (Fig. 3) firmly attached to the frame I8.

In using my mechanical chessboard, the player takes out the board from the box |32 and places in the latter an indicia bearing sheet |30 on which he again places the board He then sets out the chessmen either for a full game or for a problem or part of a game as shown either 55 through window |52 or o n a separate sheet. The

of arrival, for example the square |04a in Fig. 2,.

discloses the corresponding portion |30a of the indicia bearing sheet |30. If this portion contains an indication that the move should then have been made, the chessman is either moved to that square or left thereon and released-whereupon the square I04a will move back to itsnormal position under the action of spring |22.v If the disclosed portion |30a of the indicia bearing sheet |30 does not show that the move lshould then have been made, the player must revise his calculations and is thus made to reason out why one move was made in preference to another. Conversely a single player or a pair of players may use my board" to record the moves made during a new game, in which event a plain sheet would be placed below the board The move indicator is intended to assist 1n keeping count of the moves already made and also to simplify the system of in dicia marked on the sheet |30. By the use of the move indicator these indicia are reduced to simple numbers denoting the move, placed under the squares of arrival. The numbers are placed in two sets corresponding to white and black. 'I hus, for example, the uncovered portion |30a 1n Fig. 2 shows above the numbers l1, 22 and below the numbers |9, 26. This means that at the end of the 17th and 22nd moves of White a white chessman occupies that corresponding square |0411. and at the end of the 19th and 26th moves of black a black chessman occupies that square. Particularly in problems there will generally be only one chessman able to move into that square or alternatively the position may make 1t unavoidable or obvious to move a given chessman. Of course, other systems of indication can also be employed.

I claim:

l. A mechanical chessboard comprising a table, a plurality of blocks coveringV a portion of said table and. corresponding to squares of a chessboard, said blocks being individually displaceable to expose the portion of table therebeneath, and an exchangeable chart representing a particular game insertable between said table and blocks having indicia thereon indicating whether or not a, displaced block is the proper arrival square for a particular move of a chessman.

2. A mechanical chessboard comprising a table, a plurality of blocks covering a portion of said table and'corresponding to squares of a chessboard, said blocks being individually displaceable to expose the portion of table therebeneath, and an exchangeable chart representing a particular game insertable between said table and blocks having indicia thereon indicating whether or not a displaced block is the proper arrival square for a particular chessman in a move of a certain number in the game.

3. A mechanical chessboard comprising a table, a plurality of blocks covering a portion of said table and corresponding to squares of a chessboard, said blocks being individually displaceable to expose the portion of table therebeneath, and an exchangeable chart representing a particular game insertable between said table and blocks having indicia thereon indicating whether or not the displaced block is the proper arrival square for a particular chessman in one or the other of two sets in a move of a certain number in the game.

4. A mechanical chessboard comprising a frame, blocks mounted on said frame corresponding to the squares of a chessboard and individually displaceable and an exchangeable chart representing a particular chess game placed beneath said frame in registration with said blocks, saidY chart having indicia thereon indicating Whether or not a displaced block is the proper arrival square for a particular chessman in a particular move of the game.

5. A mechanical chessboard comprising a box, a frame removably placed in said box, blocks corresponding to the squares of a chessboard supported on said frame, guideways for said blocks on said frame permitting displacement of individual blocks to expose the bottom of the box therebeneath, and an exchangeable chart representing a particular chess game insertable in said box beneath said blocks and having indicia thereon indicating whether or not a displaced b-lock is the proper arrival square for a particular chessman in a particular move of the game represented.

6. A mechanical chessboard comprising a rectangular frame, blocks corresponding to the squares of a chessboard arranged within said frame, guideways on said frame for said blocks permitting displacement of each individual block, resilient means for returning the displaced block to its normal position, chessmen adapted for engagement with each of theblocks, and an exchangeable chart placed beneath said frame having indicia in registration with the blocks when in normal position and indicating when a block is displaced whether or not it is the proper arrival square for a particular chessman in a particular move of the game represented.

'7. A mechanical chessboard comprising a rectangular frame, blocks corresponding to the squares of a chessboard arranged within said frame,I guideways on said frame for said blocks permitting displacement of each individual block, resilient means for returning the displaced block to its normal position, chessmen adapted for engagement with each of the blocks, an exchangeable chart placed beneath said frame having indicia in registration with the blocks when in normal position and indicating when a block is displaced whether or not it is the proper arrival square for a particular chessman in a particular move of the game represented, the marginal portion of said frameA having Windows therein, and said chart being provided with information in registration with said windows concerning the particular game represented.

8. A chessboard forv self-teaching and practicing of the game of chess, of the type adapted to be used with chessmen having means for detachably couplingrthe men to the board, and to be superimposed on an indicia bearing chart, said chessboard comprising a rectangular frame having a pair of opposed end members and a pair of opposed side members, a plurality of individual blocks of equal size and square in plan, having an upper face suitably colored to differentiate b1ack from white s quares, said blocks being arranged in contiguousrows parallel to said side members to dene a eld of play and being adapted to be moved slidably parallel to said side members, guide means operatively associated with said rows to prevent displacement thereof paralell to said end members, said indicia bearing chart having chessmen determining indicia arranged to underlie the block bearing the piece to be moved, and complementary move determining indicia underlying the block to which said piece should be moved, and compression springs located between one end member and the proximate end of each row of blocks, and normally maintaining the blocks yieldably compacted into a eld of play, whereby any one block may be displaced towards said one end member to disclose a section of chart corresponding to said block only and bearing chessmen determining indicia, and a second block must be subsequently displaced towards said one end member to discover the complementary move determining in- 10 dCia.

FRANCISCO BENK. 

